In the news release announcing the approval of the project, the government highlights the expected economic impact, including up to $36 billion in capital investments when accounting for upstream natural gas development, the creation of 4500 jobs during construction and additional 630 direct and indirect jobs during the operation of the facility, and benefits to local First Nations through job creation in the region and agreements reached with the proponent, Pacific NorthWest LNG.

The government's approval comes with over 190 conditions intended to lessen the environmental impacts of the project. One key condition is a maximum cap on the annual direct project GHG emissions. Direct emissions from the project will be capped at a maximum of 4,300,000 tons of CO2e per year. This is 900,000 tons less than what had initially been proposed by the proponent. The government did not impose specific limits on upstream emissions (i.e. emissions from the extraction of the shale gas destined for liquefaction). Instead, the government states that these emissions will be "reduced by the government's commitment to regulate methane emissions from the oil and gas sector, and by BC's plan for electrification of upstream extraction of natural gas."

Zoë Thoms is an associate and a member of A&B’s Energy Group. Zoë is a litigator with a strong focus on energy regulation. She has experience advising oil and gas exploration companies, as well as professional liability insurers and telecommunication companies. Zoë has appeared before the Superior Court of Ontario, Ontario Court of Justice, Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench and Alberta Provincial Court.

TransCanada Abandons Energy East ProjectBy David StevensOct 05, 2017On October 5, 2017, TransCanada Corporation announced that it will not proceed with the Energy East and Eastern Mainline projects. As a result, TransCanada will withdraw its applications to the National Energy Board for these projects.